


The Rabbit and the Hawk

by AceTrainerHope



Series: Within the Walls of Garreg Mach [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, G/T, Gen, borrower!Bernadetta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 03:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20499788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerHope/pseuds/AceTrainerHope
Summary: "What I am thinking? I am thinking that you remind me of prey.""Wh-What?""Yes. Like a rabbit in the tall grass."((despite what the title might lead you to believe, I promise this is purely Soft and Wholesome))





	The Rabbit and the Hawk

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't really think of a proper summary so I just went with the lines from their support conversation that pretty much inspired this whole thing x'D

_ Ooh, I knew I should’ve just stayed in bed today! I just knew it! _

Bernadetta couldn’t help but silently berate herself as the gravity of the situation settled in. 

But… as much as she wished that she hadn’t left the comfortable sanctum of her room, she’d already put it off for so long. Her food stash was starting to run dangerously low, and there was no telling when she would’ve gotten another good opportunity again.

Well, what had _ started off _as a good opportunity, anyway. 

All it took was one little mistake to ruin the perfect chance she’d been given.

At this hour, the dining hall was closed and locked up tight for the night, and it would remain that way until dawn—when the kitchen staff would come to do the morning cleaning and breakfast preparations.

Of course, a few locked doors hardly meant anything to a borrower like Bernadetta. By using hidden passageways within the walls, she could come and go as she pleased, no matter the time of day. 

Well, so long as there weren’t any humans around.

But right now, humans were the _ least _ of her worries. 

If only she hadn’t gotten greedy… 

After all, borrowers were only supposed to take things that they absolutely needed to survive. And last time she checked, candy was not one of those things. But she just hadn’t been able to resist the temptation—not when she saw that someone had left a large jar of neatly-wrapped sweets out on the countertop. 

Even though the container was mostly empty, with only about a dozen or so treats left, surely nobody would notice if just one little piece went missing. 

It should’ve been so simple. 

With the help of her climbing gear—a three-pronged hook and some sturdy fishing line—all she had to do was climb the jar, lower herself down into it, and then climb back out once she’d snagged her prize. 

Three easy steps, and then she could return to the comfort of her personal little hideaway with all the supplies that she’d gathered. 

Or so she thought.

She’d made it to the top just fine, but as she stood carefully on the rim of the jar and started trying to reposition her ‘rope,’ that was when everything went wrong. 

All it took was accidentally shifting her weight just the tiniest bit too much to one side, and her balance on the thin glass lip was lost. 

As soon as Bernadetta realized that she was beginning to fall, her arms pinwheeled frantically in an attempt to right herself. Unfortunately, it was no use—nothing she did would be enough to stop her rapid descent. 

Not only that, but as both feet slipped out from under her, the toe of one boot got partially caught on her makeshift grappling hook, promptly dislodging it from its place. 

While the young borrower fell _ inside _ the jar, her only means of escape clattered down to the wooden counter on the _ outside. _

Thankfully, at the very least, the landing wasn't too terrible. She had definitely gotten the wind knocked out of her pretty badly, for sure, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse.

As far as Bernadetta was concerned, though, this was about as bad as things could get. 

Without her climbing gear, she was trapped. The jar’s opening was well out of reach, and she couldn’t exactly scale its smooth glass walls. 

But if she couldn’t escape before the sun came up, then… then… 

_ Oh Goddess, _ she was doomed. Totally and completely doomed.

All because she couldn’t say no to some stupid piece of candy. 

* * *

Bernadetta woke with a start, her head shooting up in response to a rather loud series of sounds—a lock turning, doors opening, _ footsteps. _

At some point during the remainder of the night, after quite some time spent pacing back and forth in the confines of her glassy prison, she had actually managed to drift off to sleep. 

Huddled up with her pack held close and her head resting on her knees, it was far from the most comfortable position to sleep in, but eventually her exhaustion just became too powerful.

Now, though—Now Bernadetta was wide awake, trying to survey the area as much as she possibly could through the slightly distorted view of the jar. 

Her eyes soon found the unmistakable form of a human traveling through the dining hall’s main entrance. At the moment, it was just one. Most likely a student, judging by the school uniform they wore—the standard white and black dress with accents of gold that was common among the girls enrolled at the monastery. 

Bernadetta didn’t really make a habit of people-watching or anything like that, but considering she’d been living here for the past few months now, it was inevitable that she’d catch a glimpse every now and then. 

Regardless, what made this girl stand out from many of the others that Bernadetta had seen was her tan, sun-kissed skin; as well as her long magenta hair that was currently done up in a rather complicated braid. 

The young borrower watched as she methodically began making her way around the entire room, opening up the shutters of each and every window to welcome in the morning sun. 

And as the human slowly but surely moved closer to where Bernadetta was trapped, her panic grew exponentially.

Hours ago, she honestly thought that she had resigned herself to the horrible fate that was sure to come. But now that she was moments away from coming face-to-face with that supposed fate, her instincts of self-preservation came rushing back full-force. 

Not that she could actually do anything about it. 

She was still just as much of a sitting duck as she had been earlier. 

Well—maybe… maybe there was a chance that the human wouldn’t spot her? It wasn’t like she was _ completely _ out in the open, and if the larger individual was currently preoccupied with cleaning and what not, it was certainly possible that— 

Any brief spark of hope that Bernadetta might have clung to was immediately squandered when the human’s gaze just so happened to drift toward her direction. 

The very same sort of chance that might have saved her turned out to be her undoing. 

Those light brown eyes locked onto her tiny form almost instantly, keen and focused like a bird of prey—even as shock made itself clear on the human’s face. 

Bernadetta could only watch as the much taller girl started walking over toward the counter. Well, watch, and also try to push herself as far back against the glass as her body would allow. Anything to put more distance between the two of them, no matter how insignificant. 

Eventually, once the human was close enough, she crouched down a bit so that they were about eye-level with each other.

After what felt like an eternity with nothing but the two girls staring at one another in silence, a whispered string of words escaped past her lips in a language that Bernadetta couldn’t understand. Her tone was one of awe and curiosity, though. That much was obvious.

Not really knowing how else to respond, all the young borrower could think to do was clutch her pack even tighter, hugging it as close to her chest as possible. Maybe she should just try smothering herself with it instead—surely that would be better than whatever cruelty awaited her. 

“Hello there, little one. Are you needing assistance?” 

Wait… What? 

Was she… Was this human actually offering to help?

Once again, Bernadetta didn’t know how to respond.

Or… well, technically she knew what she _ wanted _ to say this time around. The issue was that, try as she might, she just couldn’t find the courage to speak. Her throat felt so tight and dry all of a sudden.

Honestly, it was hard enough for her to talk to other borrowers, so that didn’t really come as a surprise. 

If she_ had _ been able to speak, though, she probably would’ve tried asking the human to retrieve her climbing gear for her so that she could climb out of the jar on her own. After all, the human was trying to talk with her right now, instead of just immediately snatching her up. 

As silly as it might be… was it wrong to cling to the hope that she might still be able to get herself out of this mess? 

Nevertheless, with her words failing her, all Bernadetta could do was nod vigorously. Yes, she very much did need assistance.

Maybe that was a mistake, though.

Because the next thing she knew, the human straightened up before reaching a hand into the jar—reaching _ for her. _

From that point on, everything felt like it was happening in slow-motion. The frantic pounding of her heart threatened to deafen her as those massive fingers drew closer and closer.

She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. 

She was breathing so heavily but she_ still _couldn’t get enough air. 

_ Wait, wait, please wait! _

That was what she meant to say, but even though she finally managed to produce some noise, all that came out was a pathetic series of wordless whimpers. 

She tried to scramble away, but there was no where else to go.

The moment the human’s fingertips brushed against her tiny body, that was when she couldn’t take it anymore. 

The world went dark, and everything stopped. 

* * *

Petra had gotten up earlier than usual that morning. 

She and a handful of other students had been assigned the task of helping get the dining hall ready for breakfast that day, and since she was already wide awake, she saw no harm in getting a little head start. 

Surely her fellow helpers would appreciate having a bit less work to do, and she certainly didn’t mind putting in the extra effort. 

As such, once her own personal morning preparations were complete, the young princess left her dorm room and made her way over to the guards’ station. After retrieving a key from the kind gatekeeper currently on-duty, the dining hall was the next stop on her little journey.

Her walk there was quite a pleasant one. There was a slight chill in the early-morning air that lightly nipped at her skin, but it wasn’t enough to make her uncomfortable. The sound of faint birdsong was welcoming to her ears as well.

After she arrived at her destination, Petra’s first order of business was the simple task of unlocking the main entryway. Then, once she stepped inside and saw how dark it was, she figured the next best course of action would be to open the shutters on all the windows.

And that was exactly what she did next, allowing the sun to brighten up the room naturally. 

Once she finished the first set, Petra was just about to walk over to the opposite wall and get the others, but as her gaze casually drifted past the back counter, something happened to catch her eye. 

She paused, allowing herself to look over the area a bit more thoroughly. 

Nothing really seemed to be out of place at first, until her eyes landed on a large, mostly empty jar. _ Mostly _ empty, save for a few pieces of candy and a… a doll? 

Well, Petra’s initial thought was that it must’ve been a doll, but then again… that didn’t really make much sense. What would a doll be doing in a candy jar? Not to mention just how realistic it looked. With fair skin and a rather unkempt mop of light purple hair, it certainly didn’t appear to be crafted from cloth or wood or anything of that nature. 

And as curiosity brought her several steps closer, she came to a rather startling realization. 

Those little gray eyes were staring right back at her, wide with fear and brimming with life. 

This was a living, breathing person who was easily small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

“The oddities of Fódlan never cease to amaze me…” she mused softly in her mother tongue, overcome with awe.

Leaning in even closer, Petra didn’t fail to notice how the smaller individual started shuffling backwards—or, well, started _ trying _to, at least. Their back was already as far up against the glass as it could go, yet they still seemed determined to get farther away.

Ah, the poor thing was trembling as well. They must’ve been terrified, trapped as they were… 

Hopefully she could help ease their fears.

“Hello there, little one. Are you needing assistance?” she wondered, still speaking in a hushed tone—although she opted for using the language of Fódlan this time around. 

When she didn’t get an answer right away, Petra worried over the possibility that they couldn’t understand her. She would be at quite a loss if that was the case.

But thankfully, moments later, the tiny person nodded rather emphatically.

As such, with permission granted, Petra didn’t waste any time straightening back up and reaching her hand into the jar.

Making sure to be extra careful, her fingers gingerly wrapped around their small form in a loose yet still-secure hold. Lifting them up and bringing them closer to her face, it didn’t take long for her to notice that something was wrong.

Petra quickly realized that they had gone completely limp in her grasp, and their formerly wide eyes were now shut.

“Little one? Are you well?”

…

No response.

Oh spirits, she hadn’t hurt them, had she? She was sure that she was being gentle, but maybe that wasn’t the case? Or maybe they were ill? Whatever the truth might be, her worry increased tenfold.

Uncoiling her fingers a bit, Petra allowed the tiny individual to lay flat in her palm so that she could examine them more closely.

It was hard to tell at first, but she was eventually able to notice the slow rise and fall of their chest, indicating that they were still breathing. That was good, at least.

But… what should she do now? She was still supposed to be on cleaning duty, and her fellow helpers would surely be arriving soon. Since she had gotten there early, maybe she would be able to excuse herself without being rude? 

She briefly considered bringing the little one to the infirmary, but soon thought better of that idea. Something in the back of her mind told her that it would probably be best to keep them a secret for the time being.

Others might not react as calmly as Petra had, and the last thing they needed right now was to get overcrowded.

So, keeping that in mind, Petra moved with even more care than she had used before as she deposited the smaller individual into her chest pocket. It was the best place she could think of for keeping them safe and out of sight until she could return to her dorm room. 

Which she hoped to do sooner rather than later…

* * *

Bernadetta’s second time coming to consciousness that day was much less abrupt than the last.

Her senses returned slowly, but the first thing her hazy mind managed to process was just how comfortable she was. Wherever she was laying, it was far better than the makeshift bed she’d put together back when she first settled into life at the monastery. 

Given that she was still pretty out of it, the fact that she _ wasn’t _ in that bed right now didn’t really register as a problem for her just yet. 

She was just so warm and cozy… 

The young borrower let out a content little hum as she rolled over onto her side, curling up and wrapping her blanket even tighter around her form.

Not long after that, Bernadetta felt something nudge at her back in a gentle rubbing motion. So gentle, in fact, that she couldn’t tell if it was meant to lull her back to sleep or get her to wake up sooner. 

Well, personally, she’d much rather prefer going back to sleep, and if this person wasn’t even bothering with calling out her name, they probably didn’t need her for— 

Wait. 

She lived alone.

So then who…? 

_ Oh. Oh no. Oh nonononono, how could I have forgotten?! _

It all came rushing back to her in less than a second—the dining hall, the jar, the human. 

Oh Goddess,_ the human. _

Bernadetta’s eyes flew open, and she immediately tried to move away from whatever was up against her back. The last thing she remembered was that girl reaching into the jar to grab her. And then, like the stupid scaredy-cat klutz she was, she’d gone and _ passed out. _

Quickly scanning her surroundings, the first thing she realized was what she was laying on. 

It was a blouse that had been folded up into as small of a square as possible, still about as big as a king-sized bed for someone as small as Bernadetta. And the ‘blanket’ she’d been using was actually a simple white handkerchief. In addition to that, the blouse was currently sitting on a desk.

The second thing Bernadetta realized was what exactly had been touching her moments ago. 

A massive hand was hovering close by, one finger partially extended. 

Her gaze followed that hand along an equally massive arm, and as her eyes trailed up and up and up, they eventually met with a familiar pair of light brown ones. 

The very same girl who had found her in the dining hall. 

“Ah, hello again, little one,” she greeted softly. “Are you having better feelings? …Er, that is… Are you feeling better?” 

In spite of her rather odd way of speaking, her voice sounded so kind and concerned. Bernadetta was certain that she couldn’t trust those words, though. Surely it was some sort of trap, right? A way of trying to get her to let her guard down? That _ had _ to be the case. It was the only thing that made sense. 

“Little one?” the human repeated after Bernadetta made no attempts to respond. 

What was the question again…? Did she feel better? 

She shook her head in a very definitive ‘no.’ Of course she didn’t feel better! If anything, she felt _ worse! _ Even if she wasn’t stuck in a jar anymore, she was still just as trapped.

“Oh… Can you tell me what is wrong? I would like to be helping if I am able.”

Yet again the human shocked her with such caring words. 

And yet again, all the little borrower could do was shake her head, still unable to find the courage to speak. 

She soon found herself regretting such an action, though. Would the human get mad at her, thinking she was just being stubborn and uncooperative? Fearing that that might be the case, she instinctively scooted further away by just the slightest bit. 

However, instead of showing anger, the larger girl’s eyes widened in what seemed to be… realization? 

“You are… You are unable to speak. Because you are afraid… Afraid of me, yes? That is what is wrong?”

This time, Bernadetta nodded—albeit after a moment or two of hesitation. 

“I… I see,” Petra murmured, and as hard as it was to believe, she almost looked… hurt. Like she was sad to have her suspicions confirmed. 

That couldn’t be the case, though… could it? Weren’t humans supposed to _ enjoy _ tormenting people who were weaker and smaller than them? That was what she’d always been told, at least… 

"I apologize for giving you fright, little one. But please know that I do not wish to do you harm. Ah… Wait. I am forgetting my manners. Would it help if I was telling you my name? I am called Petra.” 

Petra.

Well, knowing her name didn’t really make Bernadetta any less terrified, but she supposed it _ was _ kinda nice to have something to call her other than just ‘the human.’

_ Petra. Okay. Alright… You can do this, Bernie. She’s just a person. _

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to calm her nerves if only just the tiniest bit. 

_ A very… very… tall person. _

Eyes opening once more, a soft mumble of a sound managed to make its way past her lips, barely audible even to her own ears. Petra probably hadn’t heard it _ at all. _

Another attempt at a deep breath later, she tried again.

“B… Ber-Bernadetta. I-I-I’m… Bernadetta,” she finally managed. It seemed only fair that Petra should get to learn her name as well.

And upon hearing Bernadetta speak, Petra’s eyes widened in surprise. 

A smile was quick to replace that expression, though. 

“Berna… Bernadetta,” she echoed, as if testing the name on her tongue. “It is nice to be meeting you, Bernadetta.” 

Such a simple smile, and yet… it seemed so inviting and warm, too. 

“I-It, um… I-It’s nice to meet you, too,” the young borrower replied, and she somehow found the courage to speak just a little louder. She wasn’t even entirely sure if her own words were genuine or not, though—it was mostly just a reflexive response. 

But… the more she thought about it…

It wasn’t like Petra had gone out of her way to do anything terrible. 

Quite the opposite, actually. 

Instead of being locked away in a cage or shown off to any other humans, Bernadetta had simply been brought to the privacy of the other girl’s dorm room and given a comfortable place to rest.

And so far, the only time she’d been grabbed was when Petra had gotten her out of the jar—which Bernadetta had technically agreed to. Not only that, but… the human’s touch was so gentle, too. The only reason she’d fainted was because she panicked and overreacted like she always did.

So maybe… Maybe it really _ was _ nice to meet her. 

But… well… There was still one problem.

Bernadetta had no idea what Petra planned to do with her next. 

The answer to that might just change everything. 

At this point, all she wanted to do was retreat to the privacy of her little safe haven, hidden away from danger in a place where she didn't have to worry about humans or talking to people or anything like that. 

Would Petra just… let her leave, though? That easily? 

If not… she wasn't entirely sure if she would be able to figure out a way to escape. Trying to climb down from the desk wouldn't be easy if she had to worried about getting snatched off her… her… 

_ Her rope. _

With a renewed surge of panic, Bernadetta’s hands were at her sides in an instant, frantically searching for climbing gear that wasn’t there. She _ knew _ it wouldn’t be there, but there was still some part of her—some naïve, foolish part—that hoped it might miraculously reappear. 

Because without it, whether or not she could leave would be entirely up to Petra.

“Ah, I must be apologizing again. You are looking for this, are you not?” the darker-haired girl spoke up, quickly drawing Bernadetta’s attention. 

In her other hand, the human presented the exact item she was desperately missing—a length of fishing line looped into nice and neat coils, with a hook attached to one end. 

A flood of relief washed over her, but it didn’t last very long. To have her climbing gear so close, and yet just out of reach… it would be so easy for fate to taunt her now—to give her the faintest taste of freedom before stealing it away. 

Petra started moving again soon after that, and the little borrower didn’t know what to expect as that massive hand slowly approached. 

Much to her surprise, though, all the other girl did was hold out the miniature climbing gear as if offering it to Bernadetta.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. 

However, it wouldn’t be long before she tentatively rose to her feet and began inching her way closer to the human’s outstretched hand. 

Just as she was about to reach out for it, she paused to look up and meet Petra’s gaze. In a way, it was almost like she was silently asking for permission. Which was kinda funny, really, considering it was _ her _ climbing gear in the first place. 

Nevertheless, Petra gave her yet another warm smile—this time with a touch of reassurance mixed in as well.

After that, Bernadetta took back her hook and line without issue. Even though she couldn't help the faint chill that crawled up her spine when her hands brushed up against Petra’s fingertips. 

The sensation was just… odd. Not necessarily good or bad, but… well, maybe it had something to do with the fact that she couldn’t really remember the last time she’d actually been in contact with another person. 

“You will… Is it right to be assuming that you would like to leave soon?” Petra wondered as she withdrew her hand, presumably to rest it in her lap.

“O-Oh, I… I, um, _ w-would _ like to. If that… If that’s alright?” Bernadetta stammered out, trying her best to at least be polite about it. 

“Of course,” Petra affirmed with a nod, that reassuring smile of hers quickly returning. “But, ah… Would it be possible for us to be seeing each other again sometime?”

“Y-You… Y-You want me to… to c-come back and visit you?”

“If you are able to, yes. It would bring me very much happiness.” 

If she was able to… 

_ Would _ she be able to? 

Technically speaking, since she’d been seen, she was _ supposed _ to move out and find a new home. That was one of the many rules her parents had taught her—that _ every _ borrower taught their children. 

But Bernadetta didn’t even live with her parents anymore. And those rules were just a way to stay safe. If she could stay safe _ without _ leaving the monastery, then that was what mattered the most, right? 

Beside, this place was just so darn huge. The thought of leaving it all behind and finding somewhere else just seemed… almost impossible. 

“I-If… I-If I do c-come back… Y-You can’t tell anyone about me, o-okay?” the young borrower replied, anxiously fidgeting with the fishing line in her hands. “It’d b-be really, _ really_ bad if anyone else f-found out.” 

Petra’s eyes widened at that, almost like she had come to another little realization of sorts.

But after hesitating for a moment, her smile widened. 

“You can have my word. I will be keeping you my secret,” she promised. 

“A-Alright. Th… Thank you.” 

And with that, the young borrower made her way over to the edge of the desk. Getting her hook secure and in place, she then began her slow descent to the floor. She could practically _ feel _ the other girl’s eyes on her the entire time, making the task a little harder than it usually was. 

Hoping her nerves wouldn’t get the better of her, she tried to focus all of her attention on moving down the rope, one hand after the other. A fall from this height would be far more disastrous than the one she’d taken into that jar last night.

Thankfully, though, she managed to make it all the way down in one piece. Once there, a practiced flick of the wrist was the only thing needed to dislodge her hook, and she managed to catch it right out of the air before it could hit the ground.

Stealing a glance upward revealed that Petra had indeed been staring at her, but what surprised Bernadetta the most was the look of pure wonder in those light brown eyes. 

She wasn’t actually impressed by that, was she? 

“Um… Well… I-I guess this is good bye. F-For now,” the young borrower noted as she went through the process of winding up her line and returning it to its place on her belt. 

“Yes. Goodbye for now, little Bernadetta,” Petra replied with a brief, playful wink.

Bernadetta’s cheeks reddened quite noticeably in response, but before she could get too terribly flustered, she gave the other girl a quick, slightly awkward wave and then disappeared behind the desk.

It didn’t take long for her to find her way into the walls after that.

From there, she took a few moments to catch her breath and calm her nerves.

All and all, though, if she was being completely honest with herself, talking with Petra had actually been… kinda nice. 

Maybe… Maybe they could even be friends? 

But for now, all she really cared about was getting back home. 

Getting back home, and taking a _ very _ long nap. 


End file.
